Back from the Dead
by CherryRed70
Summary: It's been 5 years since House "died" and he rode off into the sunset with Wilson. Cameron is about to be visited by a ghost of her past.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I don't own House nor any of his colleagues, friends, crimes or bad habits. If I did, House and Cameron would have made very different life choices. :)

"Come in, it's open!" called Cameron as she rushed from the lounge into the bedroom, hurriedly buttoning her shirt and searching for her other shoe at the same time. "Thank goodness you could sit for me on such short notice, you really are a lifesaver..."

Cameron stopped dead as she stepped back into the lounge room, the earring she was trying to attach forgotten. She stared, open mouthed and white faced at the man standing just inside her doorway.

"Oh my God" she managed to whisper, shock rendering her almost mute.

"You should be more careful who you invite in." House spoke quietly, his eyes taking in the sight of his (once upon a time) protege.

"House" Cameron whispered in amazement, "You're dead."

"I look pretty good for a dead guy then, I suppose." he replied with a smile, leaning on his cane.

"Oh my God" Cameron said again, finding her voice. She walked towards House quickly and threw her arms around him. He took a small step back as her weight unbalanced him, then returned her hug with a laugh.

"Woah, I know it can't have been easy for you, thinking you'd never see me again" he snarked "but hello, still a cripple, even if I'm not dead."

"Oh my God" Cameron repeated, grasping his shoulders and holding him at arms length so she could look at him properly.

"At this point, I'm beginning to think that Oh my God is your new name for me" House smirked. "I have heard it before though, usually from underneath me in bed..."

Cameron slapped his arm and laughed."You haven't changed, that's for sure."

"What are you doing here?" Cameron finally managed a sensible question. "Where have you been? It's been five years, House. Everyone thinks you're dead!"

"That, my dear Cameron, was the idea." House smiled down at her and she couldn't help but notice how much happier and relaxed he seemed to be.

"Oh my God, I'm running so late now!" Cameron looked at her watch and frantically started gathering her bag and jacket. "What are you doing here, House? I'm running late for work so I don't have time to sit and catch up with you now. Are you staying in town, or do you live here now...I don't even know where to begin!"

House limped over to the hall table next to Cameron's front door and picked up her keys, which were partially hidden by the mail propped against the vase of nearly dead flowers. He held them out to Cameron and she grabbed them from him.

"Thanks."

"I just got into town, I thought I'd look you up." House stepped aside as Cameron started towards the front door. "I haven't worked out where I'm staying yet, I was just going to play it by ear when I got here."

Cameron stopped and turned back to him. Her eyes were wide and vivid green, watching him closely.

"I have to go to work now" she said quickly, "but I'll be home by midnight at the latest. You can stay here if you want? The babysitter should be here shortly" she said, checking her watch again. "Actually, she should be here already, damn it. Josh will be getting off the school bus soon and she's supposed to here for him."

Cameron looked at House again, her eyes begging him to stay.

"I can stay until the sitter comes." House replied and Cameron's face relaxed into a smile.

"Thanks" she smiled as she headed for the door once again, "I appreciate it. Help yourself to whatever food you can find, there's beer in the fridge. You can use the shower if you like and there's a phone book in the cupboard where the phone is, if you want to ring around for a hotel room." She pointed quickly to the kitchen where the phone was sitting on the bar.

"Thanks." House said quietly and ducked his head as he followed her out the door. "Can I come back tomorrow? I really would like to catch up with you." He looked up at her then, his blue eyes zeroing in and holding her green ones. Cameron felt her heart start to do that little dance it had always done when in his presence.

"Sure." she replied, dragging her eyes away from his and taking a deep breath to try and slow her heart. "Come by around 10. Josh will be at school and I'll be done with the chores." She smiled at him then as she opened the door to her car.

"Sounds good." House said smiling back at her, his eyes roaming over her face. "It's good to see you, Cameron. I've missed you."

Cameron blinked, her mouth hanging open in shock, for a second. "Wow, maybe you have changed."

House smirked at her then, holding her car door as she got in and put her seatbelt on. Closing the door, he tapped on the window and Cameron opened it, an expectant look on her face.

"Don't count on it." House gave her a quick salute then stepped away from her car and walked back towards her front door. He stopped on the doorstep and waited until she waved and pulled away, before turning and going inside. Closing the door, he made a quick scan of the lounge before heading towards the kitchen. Rounding the bar, he opened the cupboard and pulled out the phone book, then sat down to look for a hotel/motel.

 **I hope you've enjoyed this first chapter and my first foray back into the fan fiction world. :) I will try my very hardest to keep the momentum going and update regularly. Thanks for reading, feel free to leave feedback (good or bad) for me.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thanks for reading and reviewing :) It feels good to be writing again. House just has that effect on me.**

 **I hope you enjoy the next chapter. As before, I don't own House, Cameron or any other characters from the show.**

Cameron pulled into the driveway right on 12.30am. She was tired and irritable and all she wanted to do was change out of her work clothes (which smelled of antiseptic and bodily fluids of all kinds), put on her comfy pjs and crawl into bed. The last thing she expected to see as she got out of her car was House's motorbike sitting on the grass near her front porch. _And where was the sitter's car_ , she wondered as she made her way up the stairs, her stomach tightening in knots as she ran scenarios in her head. Opening the front door, she walked in and closed it quietly behind her. The house was quiet, with only a dim light coming from the upstairs hall. Cautiously, she made her way towards the kitchen, passing through the lounge.

"What kind of time do you call this, to be sneaking in the front door, young lady?" came a gruff voice from the sofa, making Cameron jump in alarm. She hadn't noticed him there, as he was stretched out full length, hands behind his head and eyes closed as if in sleep.

"House" she whispered, walking over to the sofa and staring down at him "what are you doing here? I thought you were going to get a motel room? And what happened to my sitter?"

House opened one eye and squinted up at her. Sucking in a breath (he'd forgotten how beautiful she was) he closed it again for a second, before swinging his legs off the sofa and sitting up. Cameron walked around the sofa and sat down beside him, careful to keep enough distance between them so that they weren't touching. Her stomach was fluttering and squirming as it was (she'd forgotten how much she loved hearing his voice and how intense his blue eyes were!) and she didn't need the added stimulus of his body brushing against hers as well, no matter how innocently.

"I rang around a few motels," House spoke quietly as well "but there was nothing available in my price range until tomorrow." He clasped his hands together and leant his head on them, rubbing back and forward against his forehead. "Your sitter arrived just after you left and just before your son got off the bus. I let her go after dinner, told her I'd stay and keep the kid company until his Mom got home." He turned and looked at her then, his brilliant blue eyes grabbing hers and holding them in his gaze. "What happened to Mr Cameron?" he asked her gruffly, his eyes steady on hers.

Cameron swallowed a laugh and pulled her gaze from his. This was a conversation she'd been expecting from House, but she'd thought she'd have until tomorrow to prepare for it. When she'd worked with House, she'd grown accustomed to his taunts and jabs about her love life and apparent bad luck with men. But she'd had five years without his needle sharp wit and her skin wasn't as thick as it had been then.

"Ahhhh, David." She sighed, glancing quickly up the stairs before turning back to House. "He was the perfect husband, loved being a stay at home Dad after Josh was born and was happy for me to be a Doctor while he looked after our home." She paused, her hands twisting together anxiously in her lap. "He was happy here right up until Josh started grade school and he ran off with Josh's pre-school teacher." She finished on a whisper, her eyes once again glancing towards the stairs before meeting House's once again. "He still sees Josh on weekends and sometimes during the week when I have to work. Josh loves him so much and he loves having his _teacher_ living with his Dad. He's too young to understand it all yet and I try not to say horrible things about David in front of Josh but God, I hate him for what he did to us!" A single tear rolled down Cameron's cheek and she brushed it away furiously. "Not once did he ever give any indication that he wasn't happy, House" she said fiercely. "Not until the day I came home from a 12 hour shift at the hospital and found a note. Apparently, _Miss Judy_ is everything he ever wanted in a wife - she's great with children, she works _regular_ hours and she caters to his every need at home. She's _always_ there when he gets home from work - oh yes, I forgot to mention that he no longer feels _emasculated_ by having a wife that has a career whilst he stays home and does the housekeeping!" Cameron stopped and took a deep breath, aware that her voice had started to rise angrily. "Sorry" she muttered guiltily to House, "it's only been 6 months since he left. I'm not usually this emotional about it, it's been a crappy day at the hospital and I'm still in shock from you turning up on my doorstep." Cameron smiled up at him for a second, before her eyes once again returned to the stairs and then down to stare at her hands. She held her breath, waiting for House's (probably cutting) reply.

House watched Cameron as she talked, taking note of every little detail of her appearance. She was tired, he could see the slight dark circles under her eyes. She was clearly emotional, trying to be strong for the sake of her son. His hand had itched to reach out and brush away the single tear that had slid down her cheek but before he could take the opportunity to touch her, however briefly, she'd wiped it away. He listened as she filled in the details, his mind reeling at what kind of idiot this _David_ must be, to leave her for someone else. _Obviously the same kind of idiot as you,_ he told himself, _since you passed up the opportunity that she offered you all those years ago._

Cameron squirmed under House's gaze, waiting for him to say something. When the silence between them continued, she looked up at him expectantly.

"Idiot." House said at last, looking down at his hands again.

"I...what?" Cameron asked, her eyes going wide with surprise. She'd been prepared for some sort of cutting reply but not for him to call her an idiot outright.

"Not you" House replied quietly. "I was talking about your ex husband." _And myself_ he added in his head.

"Oh." Cameron replied, wondering when the other shoe would drop and he'd hit her with some sort of snide remark. When it didn't come, she looked up at him again, curiosity burning in her eyes. This was _not_ the same House she'd known when she worked with him.

"So...five years, House" she spoke, the question that had been burning inside her since he'd turned up unannounced almost 12 hours ago. "Where have you been? Why did you let everyone think you were dead? God, House, we had a _funeral_ for you!"

"I know" he replied quietly, rubbing his forehead on his clasped hands again, "I was there."

" _What?"_ Cameron exclaimed in surprise, her voice a high squeak of surprise.

"Can we talk about this tomorrow, Cameron?" House asked then, turning to capture her with his eyes again. "I'm not as young as I used to be and these late nights are hell on us _old_ folk." He gave her a cheeky smile and a wink, hoping his charm would have the same affect now as it did all those years ago. "Do you mind if I stay here on your sofa? Since it's nearly morning and all."

Cameron stared into his eyes for a second longer before giving her head a little shake (to clear her thoughts!) and standing up.

"Sure. I'll grab you a blanket and a pillow." She went and grabbed them from the linen cupboard, handing them silently to House as he stood up and rubbed his leg. "Will you be ok here, though?" she asked.

"Why Dr Cameron, would you offer me your bed if I said no?" he smirked at her. Cameron blushed (some things hadn't changed, after all) and gave an amused snort.

"Not a chance!" she replied, smiling at him again as she made her way around the sofa and to the stairs. "Good night, House."

"Good night, Cameron" he said as he sat on the couch again, leaning down to undo his shoes. "I hope you remember how I like my coffee first thing in the morning!" he called softly, giving her another playful wink. She laughed again as she climbed the stairs. She quickly checked on Josh, giving him a kiss on his cheek before going to her room and shutting the door. As she changed into her pjs, she couldn't help think of the man downstairs. Her stomach fluttered again as she climbed into bed.

 _Grow up,_ she told herself fiercely, _you got over your crush on him years ago._

But as she turned on her side and closed her eyes, she wondered if she really _had_ gotten over him?


	3. Chapter 3

**Still don't own House...damn it.**

Cameron woke slowly, the smell of coffee tickling her nose and the sound of childish laughter drifting up from the kitchen below. She blinked contentedly and stretched, enjoying the sunshine streaming in her window before laying quietly and listening to her son chattering away. All of a sudden, reality kicked in and she sat up with a start, remembering exactly _who_ was in her home and by the sound of it, making _himself_ at home. Struggling out of bed, she quickly threw a robe on and padded downstairs barefoot, sweeping her chestnut tresses up and into a messy bun as she went. Stopping at the bottom of the stairs, she took in the scene in the kitchen - Josh was seated at the bar with a glass of orange juice, giggling at House as he searched her kitchen cupboards, presumably (from the muttering she could hear coming from him) for a frying pan.

"You said a rude word" Josh's young voice piped up, as House turned and glared at him.

 _"You said a rude word"_ House imitated him, sending him into more giggles and causing House to roll his eyes and poke his tongue out at the boy.

Cameron watched in amazement as House leaned on the bar in front of her son, poking his face towards him and pulling a face that almost made Cameron laugh out loud. She managed to stay quiet though, watching the interaction between her former boss and her child. She'd seen House with children before and he'd never been very tolerant or warm and fuzzy towards them. But watching him with Josh, he seemed to be enjoying himself, as surprising at that seemed. Moving from where she had been hovering, she made her way into the kitchen. Two sets of eyes, one brilliant sapphire blue and the other like melted chocolate, turned towards her.

"Mummy!" Josh greeted her happily, his face lighting up as she wrapped him in a hug and planted a kiss on the top of his head.

House watched from the other side of the bar, taking in the sight of her in her pjs and robe, her hair mussed from sleep and her sea green eyes glowing with love for her son.

"Morning, mouse" she replied, running her hands through Josh's thick brown locks. Locking eyes with him, she murmured "Morning House."

"Hey, that rhymes!" giggled Josh. "Mouse and house. Morning mouse, morning house. Mouse. House."

House rolled his eyes again and then fixed her with his cerulean stare. Her heart skipped a beat at the intensity in his eyes.

"Finally. I thought I was going to be stuck here with this irritatingly cheerful _small person_ for the rest of the day. He's like a mini, less _hot_ version of you." House snarked.

Cameron couldn't help but smile at him. She could tell his grumpiness was just for show, which although surprising, wasn't an unpleasant surprise.

"What are you doing, House?" Cameron asked, taking in the open cupboard doors and breakfast ingredients spread across the bar top.

"Trying to make breakfast for you and the sprog" he replied, his eyes searching the kitchen for more hiding spots "if I could find the pan. Where are you hiding it?"

Cameron walked around the bar and moved in close to House. Kneeling down at the cupboard next to him, she opened the door and pulled out a frying pan. Before she could get back on her feet, House had grabbed it out of her hand and limped across to the stove, rubbing his leg as he went.

Cameron got up from the floor, closing the cupboard and then moving to close the other open doors as well. She made her way around to once again stand next to House, curious as to what he was doing. She was surprised to find that he'd made a batch of pancake batter, along with eggs ready for scrambling and had managed to dig up a few slices of bacon as well. She leaned against the counter watching as he expertly poured and flipped pancakes, removing them once they were cooked and placing them in a pile on a plate.

"The coffee's fresh" he said quietly as he flipped another fluffy pancake onto the plate. "If you're pouring one for yourself, do you mind refilling mine please?"

Cameron took his mug and grabbed one from the cupboard for herself. She poured the brew into both mugs, adding sugar and milk to both, remembering exactly how House liked his. Taking both mugs, she returned to House's side, handing him his mug and watching as he took a tentative sip. Swallowing, he closed his eyes and sighed blissfully.

"Ahhhhhh, just the way I like it. You haven't forgotten." He gave her a smug smile and put his mug down to flip the last of the pancakes out onto the plate. "Here, put these in the oven to keep warm while I do the eggs."

Taking the plate, Cameron quickly popped it into the oven and turned it on to warm. She was a little bemused at House's seeming comfort in her kitchen - he'd never struck her as being the domestic type and had certainly never displayed his _domesticity_ before his _death._ Moving around the kitchen, she gathered plates and cutlery, setting them out on the bar for herself, House and Josh, then took a seat at the bar next to her son. They both sat quietly, watching the man before them as he worked his culinary magic. Before long, he set down a plate in front of each of them, piled with toast, bacon, fluffy eggs and cloud-like pancakes dripping in butter and syrup. Another trip brought him back with his own plate and he took a seat next to Cameron, watching the two as they took the first bite of the "House specialty."

"Oh my God, House, this is so good!" Cameron said, her words muffled by the delicious mouthful. Her eyes were wide with surprise. "I didn't know you could cook like this." She looked at Josh, who was too busy shovelling food into his mouth to make any comments. She put her hand on his arm, cautioning him to slow down.

House smiled at her, pleased that she was enjoying his offering.

"My pleasure" he said, taking a bite himself.

 **Sorry, this one is a bit short...I'll try to make it up to you next time.** **😏 Thanks to those who have reviewed. And to those who've favourited as well. ❤️❤️**


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